Della

Meet Della, a 7-year-old French Bouvier:




If you don't know what a French Bouvier (also called a Bouvier des Flandres) is, don't feel bad. I didn't either. If you're really motivated, you can read more about them here. If not, I'll just tell you they're sort of like Great Dane-size Schnauzers.

Della came over to my "studio" for a shoot at the beginning of this week. I was a little worried about it because she has a tendency to drool excessively when she gets nervous. And because she was adopted at age three by her current owner (who is also my lovely grandmother), she has a less than ideal history and can be a little timid about things. I thought I'd have to spend a good half hour coercing her onto the set, but she seemed quite happy to be my model for an afternoon. The drooling did start eventually, and at first I incessantly wiped it up between shots. After a while, though, I decided that maybe her drool wasn't unsightly after all. It's just a part of who she is, drooly dog. She is also an extraordinarily sweet dog, truly a gentle giant.